Device for releasing acoustical time signals in clocks



Nov. 13, 1951 w. H. PAUL El'AL DEVICE FOR RELEASING ACOUSTICAL TIME SIGNALS IN CLOCKS 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Aug. 19, 1950 @m w y [n E m A mm M 0 M W. a [Q ,3 WWW H M4010 im l n a 15 W V. B

Nov. 13, 1951 w. H. PAUL ETAL DEVICE FOR REEEASING ACOUSTICAL TIME SIGNALS IN CLOCKS F iled Aug. 19, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 IN VEN TORS' Patented Nov. 13, 1951 DEVICE FOR RELEASING AQGUSTiCAL TIME SIGNALS IN CLOCKS' Wilhelm Hector Pal 11 and Eugen Friedrich Trenkle, Furtwangen, Black Forest, Germany, assignors to Badis'che Uhrenfabrik G. m: b. H., Furtwangen, Black Forest, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application August 19, 1950, Serial No.'180,37-1 In Germany August 27, 1949 15 Claims.

I. The'inventionrelates to a device in a clock, for releasing, under the control of the clock movement, acoustical signals which-consist'of a pluralityof tones following oneanother in a timed relationship. 1

Conventional clocks emitting acoustical time signals usually'comprise, in addition to the movement for time indications, a striking mechanism with a separate drive; which sounds one or seV- eralsignals every-halfor every quarterhour. In order to reduce the cost and' complication incidental with the separately-driven striking mechanism, clocks have been designed in which the power for and control of the; striking mechanism is derived from the movementi Clocks of the lastmentioned type operate satisfactorily if the acoustical signals consist of only one tone. However, difliculties are encountered, if it is intended to produce time signals of several tones which are to follow one another in predetermined time intervals and especially'if it is desired that the-intervals not too short and that they are adjust able. Such diificultiesare essentially caused by theiact'that the clock movement can initiate the emission of acoustical signals but cannot control the'signals in other'respects. There exists, e. g. a type of cuckoo clocks in which the mechanism for emitting a double blow tone viz. the cuckoo call, is'controlled and driven by the clock movement. However, the efiect is very unsatisfactory in that'thesequence of the tones is unnaturally fast'because the release of the first tone immediately causes the release of the second tone beforethe first one has died out.

Theinvention aims therefore, to provide means whereby the mentioned drawbacks can be avoided in a clock in which the movement for visual time indications actuates the mechanism for emitting acoustical signals of several tones with intervals of-a desired length;

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a clock of th'ementioned type, very simple means whereby the intervals in thesequence of a plurality of tones of a signal can be set, adjusted and controlled in a manner as hithertopossible only in clocks with a separately driven striking mechanism.

The invention also aims to provide means whereby it is possible to improvethe quality ofthe individual tones of a signal.

The invention essentially consists in the provision of a delaying device which willbe released by the clock movement simultaneously with the primary, i. e. the first; tone ofa signal, and which,

then causes the secondary, e. a the subsequent,

. 2 tone or tones-to follow in conformity with the law according to which the delaying device operates.

Now we have found that, by making use of the inertia of a mass caused or permitted to move a certain distance from a position'of rest, very simple mechanisms can be designed which are particularly well suited for the purpose of causing the desired delay of the sounding of a secondary tone of a signal.

Accordingly, the invention further consists of means whereby simultaneously with the preparation of the soundingof all the tones of a signal, an organ possessinginertia such as a gravityactu'ated weight, a pendulum, or a spring-biased swivelling or rotatingmass, is brought into a position from which-it starts to move simultaneously'with the sounding ofthe primary tone, so as to cause the delayedrelease' of the secondary tone after having'traveleda predetermined dis' tance.

Further objects and details of the invention will be apparent fromthe-description given hereinafter and the accompanying drawing illustrating embodiments thereof byway-of example. In the drawing:

Figs; land 2 areelevational views of an embodiment according to the invention in two different positions respectively,

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a modified part thereof,

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, respectively of another embodiment,

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectionalongline 55 of Fig. 5,

. and- Figs. 7 and 8 are diagrammatical side elevations of a modified part in two diiferent positions.

Referring now to" the drawing, the illustrated embodiments are shown in connection with a cuckoo clock wherein'the simulation of the cuckoo call requires a two-tone signal with a distinctive interval between'the'two'tones. However, it is to be understood that the'finyention is applicable with equal advantage to clocks emitting acousti cal signals of more than one tone regardless whether the tones are producedby the striking of gongs or chimes or by' wind instruments or a combination of both} Fig. 1 shows the mechanism-as it appears when seen from the rear of the clock after the removal of the housing. In order 'to'avoid overcrowding of the illustration the clock movement and its drive are omitted except for parts necessary for the understanding, as any kind of clock movement and drive, be it by means of a weightor by electricity, is useful in combination with the mechanism according to the invention. Thus, I is the rear plate of the frame structure of the movement and II is the minute shaft journaled therein and projecting therefrom towards the rear wall I2 2. portion of which is visible in the upper part of the figure. The shaft rotates in the direction of the arrow a and completes one its hinge I8. Similarly there is a bellows I9 with movable flap 26 connected to the pipe It.

A rod 2I is secured at 2I to the flap I! of" bellows I6 and extends towards the bellows '53. It is bent so as to form a knee with its free end portion 22 downwardly inclined with respect to the fixed portion of the rod. A pin 23 is fastened to the flap 26 of bellows I9 so as to be engaged by the inclined portion of the rod when flap I? is swung upward about its hinge I8. Thus, rod 2| and pin 23 form a-one-way connection as flap 2!) need not follow flap II from a raised to a lowered position.

The mechanism for operating the pipes under the control of the clock movement with a predetermined delay in the sequence of the tones comprises a control disc 24 secured to the minute shaft II. The disc is provided with four lugs 25 projecting from the disc periphery in axial direction and spaced 90 from one another in a mechanism for sounding an acoustical signal every quarter of an hour. If half-hourly signals are desired the disc 25 will be provided with only two lugs spaced 180 from each other.

A rockable lever, in general denoted by 26 is so pivoted at 21 to the plate [0, that its left hand arm 28 is longer than its right hand arm 29. Lever 26 comprises a third depending arm 30 which extends in the path of the lugs 25 of disc 24. Thus, disc 24 acts as a cam on a follower constituted by arm 30. A weight 3| is secured to the free end of arm 28. Intermediate the weight 3| and pivot 21, arm 28 is provided with an car 32 engaged by a connecting rod 33. The upper end of rod 33 forms an elongated loop 34 into which a pin 35 secured to the movable bellows part I! projects. Thereby a lost motion connection is constituted between part I! and the lever 26. The lost motion connection is provided in order to cause flap H to riseat a predetermined point of the upward stroke of lever arm 28. However, in certain instances, it may be preferred to link rod 33 to flap I I without lost motion.

Thefree end 36 of arm 29 of the lever 26 is bent upward to form an abutment for a weight 3'! which is arranged and can slide on arm 29 between the pivot 21 and the abutment 36. Another lever 38 is pivoted at 39 to the inside of the rear wall I2 of the clock housing above the bellows I9, 20 and laterally with respect to the pin 23 so that it bears against the latter owing to its gravity. The free end 40 of lever 38 is so bent that, in the position of Fig. 1, it is close to the weight 31 on the side of the pivot 21. Near its pivoted end lever 38 is provided with a shoulder M which will be engaged by pin 23 when bellows flap 20 is swung upward and weight 31 is shifted towards the abutment 36. Thereby, lever 38 con stitutes a detent to retain the bellows part 26 when lifted.

The mechanism operates in the following manner: When the parts are in the position of Fig. l, and then, during the rotation of the shaft II, one of the lugs 25 engages lever arm 30 which projects in the path of the lug, lever 26 will be turned clockwise until the position of Fig. 2 is reached. While the lever is so turned, the connecting rod 33 is pushed upward, first without affecting the relative position of other parts owing to the lost motion connection between the pin 35 and loop-shaped or slotted end portion 34 of the rod. When, however, lever arms 28 and 29 have passed or are about to pass their horizontal position and the lever continues to turn, the bottom of the loop 36 engages the pin 35 and raises the bellows flap II. This takes the rod 2| along which owing to the engagement of its end portion 22 with pin 23 also raises the bellows flap 20 while the pin slides along that portion 22. At the same time, i. e. when the lever arms 28 and 29 have passed the horizontal position, weight 3! owing to its gravity will slide along arm 29, towards the abutment 36. Thereby, the leverage of arm 29 will be increased to assist in the lifting of the bellows flaps I! and 20. Simultaneously, the weight 31 moves out of the path of the end 46 of' the detent lever 38 which owing to its gravity stays in engagement with pin 23 until finally, in the position of Fig. 2, the pin 23v sliding along the lever 38 is caught behind the shoulder 4 I. This position is reached shortly before lever arm 30 will drop from the lug 25 which it engages at that time.

Continued rotation of shaft II will cause lever arm 36 to slide on the lug 25 on which it bears. In consequence, weight 3|, on the longer lever arm 26 overcoming weight 31 in its abutting position will turn lever 26 back into the position of Fig. 1 in which arm 30 drops inthe path of the subsequent control lug 25. The lowerin of arm 28 immediately allows bellows flap II to fall down owing to its gravity so that the primary tone of the cuckoo call is sounded by pipe I3, whereas flap 20 is held in raised position by the detent lever 38. When during the movement of lever 26 arm 29 has passed the horizontal position weight 31 will begin to slide towards pivot 21, first slowly and then with ever increasing speed owing to the increasing steepness of arm 29. Shortly before it arrives at its inner end position it hits the detent lever end 46, which projects in the path of weight 31. Thereby, lever 38 will be turned so that pin 23 can slide oif shoulder 4!. In consequence, bellows flap 20 is now free to fall down and to cause the pipe I4 to sound the secondary tone delayed with respect to the primary tone of the cuckoo call.

The length of the delay or interval between the sounding of the two tones essentially depends on the weight 31, its sliding friction, maximum inclination of the lever 26 and the distance the weight 3! has to travel from the abutment 36 to the point where lever 38 releases pin 3i Suitable selection of these factors renders it possible to provide for a delay of desired length within rather wide limits. It is even possible to provide for a certain adjustability of the delay. This can be accomplished in various ways, for instance in the manner of Fig. 3 showing a modified rocking lever 26 which may be substituted for lever 26 in Fig. l. Lever 26' differs from the latter in that the end of the arm on which weight 3! is slidable, is not bent but has a threading 36. A nut 36" screwed thereon serves as an abutment for weight esta ethreading 36 the traveling distance of weight 31 and according; to what. has been stated above, the length. of the interval can. be. adjusted.

Now it will be clear that the mechanism hereinbefore described operates in two distinctive steps under the control of and by power derived from the clock movement. In the first stepit energizes both the sound-producing elements, i. e. the pipes with their bellows, simultaneously by raising the flaps Hand 20. In the second step, itcausesthe sounding of the primary tone and simultaneous.-

weight' 3.1, on its. way to cause thefsounding' of the secondary tone, a predeterminedintervaliaiter the sounding of the primary tone.

Asthe interval can] be so. selected that the tones of a signal. do not. overlap, the, quality of the tones will be improved. It'.wil1 also be noticed that the mechanism. is simple, in, structure and that it can be produced, at low. cost} especially if,

asv in the illustrated example, parts such as lever 26Qand' rods 2| and 3.3. are made of wire;

I In the mechanism of, Figs. 1 and 2' it the inertia ofv the slidin weight which is made use of in causing the delaying effect, It, has been stated hereinbefore that other means possessing inertia may be used with equal advantage. Thus,

in the embodiment of. Figs. 4jto 6v an, element like an inverted pendulum'serves essentially the same purpose as the weight 31in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the arrangement is the same as hereinbefore described with respect to the rear plate I and minute shaft II of the clock movement, the pipes I3, I4 with bellows I6, I9, and the connection of the bellows flaps I1 and 20 by means of the knee rod 2|, 22 and pin 23. A lever I26 pivoted at I2'I to the plate I0 has two arms I28 and I29 which extend substantially in opposite directions. Its third arm. I30 which is downwardly inclined co-operates with the lugs other than the minute shaft. Arm, I28 of lever I26 is provided with a loop I32 and a connecting rod I33 is linked tothe loop I 32 and. to the, pin 35 of bellows flap 11. It will be noticed that there is no weight attached to arm I23 as in the case of arm 28 in Figs. 1 and 2, neither is there a lost-motion connection between the arm I28 and flap I'I. Return movement of lever arm I28 from raised position is insured by the weight of flap I1 and the weight distribution of three lever arms in relation to the pivot I21. A detent lever I38 is pivoted to the inside of the housin wall I2 and provided with a shoulder I4I for engagement with pin 23 when flap 20. is raised. In this position shown in Fig. 5, the detent projects in the path of the delayed-action member I50, which is pivoted at II intermediate its ends. Its arms I52 and I53 carry weights I54 and I55, respectively. Weight I 54 is heavier than weight I55, so that member I50 tends to turn in a counter clockwise direction from the, position. of Fig. 5, where. it engages a stationary abutment I56, to the position of Fig. l. whereit bears; against another stationary abutment I51. Abutment. I56 is preferably so. located that they member I56 in Fig. 5 is close to its. position of. unstable equilibrium. The end of arm I52. turther provided ly starts the delayecont'rollin'gj element, i. e.. the

with. a projection I58 for engagement with the detentlever I38. The end I36 of arm I29 of lever I26 is hook-shaped as shown in Fig, 6 and engages arm I53 of member I50 which can be turned from abutment I5! to abutment I56 when lever arm I29 is turned downward, the end I36 sliding along arm I53 during such movement.

When disc 24turns with shaft II, one of the lugs will lift lever arm I from the position of. Fig. 4- to that of Fig. 5. During such movement the flaps I1 and 20 will be raised in the manner hereinbefore described so that pin 23 is caught by shoulder I II of lever 23. Simultaneously, the end I36 of lever arm I29 sliding 810.11g arm I53 has swung element I50 in clockwise direction from engagementwith abutment I-5I into engagement with abutment I55 and out oi the way of detent lever I38, so that the latter canswing owing to its gravity in counter-clockwise direction and take hold of pin 23 with its shoulder I 4|. When, upon further rotation of disc 24, lug 25 releases lever arm I30, flap I! will drop down to sound the first tone of the cuckoo call, and will also turn lever I26 in counter clockwise direction with the aid of connecting rod I33. Thereby arm I53 will be free from restraint of the lever end I so that the element, I will swing first slowly owing to its position of nearly unstable equilibrium, then progressively faster, towards abutment I51. Before thisv is reached the end projection I58 hits the detent, lever I38 and turns it in a clockwise direction so that, at the end of the stroke of element I50, pin 23is free and fiap20 drops down to sound the secondary tone of the cuckoo call. If so desired the mechanism accordin to Figs. 4 and 5 can be rendered adjustable in principally the same way as shown in Fig. 3, i. e. by varying the distance the delaying element can travel, for which purpose, e. g. the spacing of the abutments 1.56. and I51 from each other may be varied. Thus it willbe apparent .thatboth embodiments operate successfully towards the same aim.

In both the illustrated embodiments, the arrows; a applied to the cam or control disc 22 indicate a rotation occurring only in the clock- .wisedirection when the clock is looked at from its front. However, it frequently happens that a user in order to set the clock, turns the hands backward. If this happens, a lug or projection 25 of the cam disc 24 engaging lever arm 30 in Fig. 1 or I30 in Fig. 4 will lock the mechanism. In consequence, the entire device can be damaged if, then, a person would. try forcibly to overcome the resistance. According to our further invention the mentioned drawback can be avoided by a lever arm of such a structure that the arm is rigid or atleast. substantially rigid in the direction of the cam action when the cam disc is turned in the direction prescribed by the clock movement, whereasv the arm will yield to a cam action in the other direction without transmitting a substantial force to the lever which it is a part.

Many conventional constructions are useful for the indicated purpose. According to our further invention we prefer to use a structure which is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In these figures, all parts of the clockwork are similar to those of the embodiments of Figs. 1 and 4, and are denoted by the reference characters applied in Fig. 1 The modified part is the lever 225 which is pivoted at 221 in a location relative to the cam disc-2,4 on the, minute shaft II, similarly to the pivots 21 in Fig. 1 and I 2! in Fig. 4. The arms 22,8, and 22.9, correspond to the arms 28 and 29,

7 respectively, or to the arms I28 and I29, respectively. That means, the free end of arm 228 may carry a weight 3| as in Fig. 1 or no such weight as in Fig. 4, and arm 229 may be provided with the sliding weight 31 of Fig. l or may be shaped for engagement of another delaying member such as I53 in Fig. 4. The third arm of lever 226 consists of two parts of which the one part 230 is a leaf spring whereas the other one 260 is a rigid'elongated piece. Both parts are secured, e. g. by soldering, with their one ends in a side by side arrangement to the arms 228 and 229 near the point where the arms are pivoted at 221. The spring is of such a length that its free 'end can be engaged by the projections 25 of the cam disc 24 in the same manner as the aforementioned lever arms 38 and E30. Piece 260 is shorter than the spring 236 so that it does not extend into the path of the lugs or projections 25, and it is located on that side of the spring towards which the-latter is urged by a projection 25 when the cam disc is turned by the clock movement in the direction of arrow or in Fig. '7. In consequence, the spring 235 will be supported by piece 260 throughout the major portion of its length so that it will not bend for all practical purposes. A slight bend of the spring portion projecting beyond the end of the piece 260, which might occur, is of no significance. Thus, the third lever arm consisting of the parts 230 and 260 can be considered as rigid when acted upon owing to a rotation of the disc in the direction of the clock movement. If, however, the'disc 24 is rotated in the direction of the arrow b in Fig.

8 by a person turning the minute hand of the clock backward, the spring 230 engaged by a projection 25 from its other side will readily yield by bending away from the piece 260 so that the projection can pass the spring 230 without damage to the lever or other parts of the mechanism. From the foregoing it will be clear that the modification of Figs. '7 and 8 is applicable to both embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 as well as to other clock devices where a reciprocable member controlled by the clock movement is instrumental to cause the sounding of acoustical signals. The illustrated structure of the modified lever 226 is not only effective and very simple but also excels by the fact that both the parts 230 and 265 can be secured to the other lever arms, both together, in the same step of operation during the production.

As stated above, the mechanism according to our invention can be applied to clocks with any kind of sound producers. For instance if it is intended to operate gongs or chimes with the aid of the mechanism, the striking hammers may be raised and lowered in the same way as the bellows flaps I! and 20. It is also obvious that several mechanisms according to the invention can be connected in series in order to control the sounding of several tones of an acoustical signal.

Many alterations and modifications of the structure illustrated and described are possible without departure from the essence and the spirit of our invention which, for that reason shall not be limited but by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a clock the combination of two soundproducers, a reciprocable member connected to the first one of said sound-producers and adapted to cause itto sound, a delayed-action means connected to said member and adapted to cause 8 sounding of said second sound producer, anda control element operated by the movement of the clock in equal time intervals and adapted to reciprocate said member thereby to start the sounding of said first sound producer and the operation of said delayed-action means to sound said second sound producer a predetermined delay, after the beginning of the sounding of said first sound-producer.

2. In a clock, thecombination of two soundin elements, two actuators co-ordinated to said elements respectively, a reciprocable member con.- nected to the first one of said actuators so as to energize it upon a movement of said member in the one direction andto release it for actuation ofthe co-ordinate element on a movement in the opposite direction, a one way connection between said'reciprocable member and said second actuator to energize said second actuator simultaneously with said firstactuator without causing the release ,of said second actuator for .sounding said second element, a delayed-action means adapted to release said second actuator and connectedto said reciprocable member so as to be started to operate upon a movement of said reciproc able member in said opposite direction, and a control element operated by the movement of said clock in equal time intervals and adapted to reciprocate said member.

3. In a clock, the combination of two sounding elements, two actuators of and co-ordinate to said elements respectively, a reciprocable member connected. to the first one of said actuators so as to energizeit upon a movement of said member in the one direction andv to start its actuation of its co-ordinate element upon a movement of said member in the opposite direction, a one-way connection. between said ac"- tuators to cause energization of the second one simultaneously with the first one of said actuators, areleasable detent for holding said second actuator energized, a delayed-action means adapted to release said detent and connected to said reciprocable member so as to be started to release said detent upon a movement of said member in the opposite direction, and a control element connected to the clock movement and adapted to cause reciprocation of said member.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 further comprising adjustable means in connection with said delayed-action means to vary thedelay between the starting of said delayed-action means and the releasing of said detent. v

5. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said reciprocable member is a pivoted lever having three arms of which the first and the second we extend in substantially opposite directions and the third one at an angle to the first and second, the first and the second arm being connected to said first actuator and to said delayedaction means respectively, said control element comprising a cam disc secured to the minute shaft of the clock movement, and said third lever arm constituting a follower of said cam disc.

6. 'A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said actuators includes a part to be raised for energization and adapted to drop for actuation of its co-ordinate sounding element and said one wayconnection including a first projection of said first actuator part and a second projection of said second actuator part overlying said first projection, whereby said first actuator part is adapted to raise said second actuator part without compelling it to follow when said first actuator partis "lowered.

7. In a clock, the combination of two sounding elements, two actuators of and co-ordinate to said elements respectively, a member reciprocable under the control of and by the clock movement, said member being connected to said actuators so as to energize them by its movement in the one direction and to release them by its movement in the other direction, a detent to hold one of said actuators energized, a body movable in a path between two end positions in the first one of which said body has potential energy and in the second one of which at least a portion of said energy is spent, said detent projecting in the path of said body from its first to its second position, said reciprocable member being also connected to said body so as to move said body from its second to its first position and to release it during the movement of said member in said opposite direction, whereby said detent impacted by said body will be withdrawn from its holding position.

87 In a clock, the combination of two sounding elements, two actuators of and co-ordinate to 7 said elements respectively, a lever pivoted about a horizontal axis intermediate its arms,

- one of said arms being connected to the first actuator to energize it by an upward movement of said arm, a one-way connection between said actuators to energize the second one, a releasable detent to hold said second actuator in the energized position, a weighted mass slidable on the other arm of said lever and adapted to impact on said detent to release it when said mass slides from the end of said other arm towards the lever pivot, and means controlled and operated by the clock movement to reciprocate said lever.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 further comprising adjustable means in connection with said other arm to vary the length of said arm thereby to vary the time lapse between the start of the mass on its way towards said lever pivot and its impacting on said detent.

10. In a cuckoo clock, the combination of two pipes for the production of the two tones of the cuckoo call, two bellows co-ordinate to said pipes respectively, each bellows including a flap adapted to cause the sounding of the co-ordinate pipe by dropping from a raised position, a lever pivoted about a horizontal aXis intermediate its arms, one of said arms being connected to the fiap of one of said bellows so as to raise it from the collapsed position by a turn of said lever in one direction, a connection between said fiap and said other flap to raise the latter simultaneously with the former, a releasable detent to hold said second fiap in the raised position, a weighted mass slidable on the other lower arm and adapted to impact on said detent to release it when sliding from the end of said other arm towards said lever pivot, and means controlled and operated by the clock movement to reciprocate said lever.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10, further 10 comprising a threaded end of said other lever arm, and a nut screwed on said threaded end so as to form an adjustable abutment for said slidable mass.

12. A device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a weight on the end of the first mentioned lever arm so that the mechanical advantage of said first lever arm is greater than that of the other lever arm with the weighted mass at the end thereof.

13. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said connection between said first mentioned lever arm and the connected flap is a lost-motion connection to cause raising of said flap at a predetermined position of said lever arm intermediate the position between which it is rockable.

14. In a cuckoo clock, the combination of two pipes for the production of the two tones of the cuckoo call, two bellows co-ordinate to said pipes respectively, each bellows including a flap adapted to cause the sounding of the co-ordinate pipe by dropping from a raised position, a lever pivoted about a horizontal axis, said lever being connected to the fiap of one of said bellows so as to raise it from the collapsed position by the turn of said lever in the one direction, a connection between said flap and said other flap to raise the latter simultaneously with the former, a releasable detent to hold said second flap in the raised position, a weighted member'pivoted below its center of gravity, two abutments between which said member can rock about its pivot, the first one of said abutments being in such a position that said member when engaging it tends to swing towards the second abutment, said detent projecting in the path of said member to be released when said member swings from the first towards the second abutment, a connection between said lever and said member whereby said member will be swung from said second to said first abutment when said lever is turned in the said direction, and means controlled and operated by the movement of the clock movement to reciprocate said lever.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14 wherein said first abutment is so located that said member when engaging it is close to its position of unstable equilibrium.

WILHELM HECTOR PAUL. EUGEN FRIEDRICH TRENKLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 909,298 Herschede Jan. 12, 1909 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 191,143 Germany Aug. 8, 1906 462,087 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1937 

